"There are days when it hurts not to have one, but there was no compelling business case at the time when the decision was taken," Albert Biermann, head of product development told Inside Line. "We are trying to make a case but there are so many factors to consider."

The absence of a Z4M is even more surprising since BMW's head of motorsport, Jens Marquardt, recently said the roundel-badged brand plans to introduce the Z4 GTS racer in the U.S. The GTS on the racetrack would basically just highlight that a road-going equivalent isn't available.